Synonyms of slow

slow 1 of 3

adjective

ˈslō 

1

as in leisurely

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed

because of the holiday, traffic to the beach was particularly slow

slow readers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leisurely
• sluggish
• pokey
• lagging
• crawling
• creeping
• unhurried
• slowing
• dragging
• dilatory
• laggard
• poky
• tardy
• languid
• dillydallying
• snaillike
• dallying
• poking
• snail-paced
• dawdling
• deliberate
• lethargic
• inactive
• lingering
• inert
• plodding
• ambling
• lounging
• measured
• loafing
• loitering
• decelerating
• heavy-footed
• shuffling
• slow-footed
• stalling
• tarrying
• procrastinating
• strolling
• inching
• filibustering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rapid
• swift
• quick
• fast
• speedy
• hasty
• rushing
• lightning
• brisk
• running
• breathless
• meteoric
• speeding
• dizzy
• ready
• snappy
• whirlwind
• racing
• flying
• fleet
• prompt
• expeditious
• rocketing
• bolting
• breakneck
• accelerated
• hurrying
• whirling
• warp-speed
• barreling
• quickened
• scudding
• rushed
• zipping
• hastened
• scurrying
• scooting
• hurried
• whisking
• careering

2

as in dumb

not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily

we love our bulldog though he's a little slower than our German shepherd

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dumb
• stupid
• simple
• thick
• dull
• dense
• foolish
• soft
• ignorant
• dim
• idiotic
• unreasonable
• silly
• unintelligent
• obtuse
• mad
• insane
• mindless
• opaque
• dopey
• crazy
• thickheaded
• brain-dead
• senseless
• irrational
• boneheaded
• fatuous
• vacuous
• idiotical
• dunderheaded
• dorky
• witless
• brainless
• doltish
• bonehead
• dopy
• oafish
• pinheaded
• dim-witted
• slow-witted
• weak-minded
• softheaded
• lamebrained
• lamebrain
• gormless
• unsmart
• thick-witted
• lunkheaded
• moronic
• airheaded
• knuckleheaded
• absurd
• chuckleheaded
• empty-headed
• bubbleheaded
• looney
• half-witted
• fool
• simpleminded
• lunatic
• feebleminded
• unwise
• birdbrained
• uninformed
• uneducated
• unthinking
• imbecile
• whacky
• illiterate
• imbecilic
• illogical
• unintellectual
• untaught
• dippy
• cretinous
• sappy
• daft
• nutty
• zany
• lowbrow
• nonsensical
• invalid
• wacky
• cuckoo
• asinine
• preposterous
• loony
• daffy
• fallacious
• balmy
• boobish
• kooky
• dotty
• screwball
• harebrained
• half-baked
• featherheaded
• cockeyed
• crackpot
• tomfool
• kookie

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quick
• fast
• brilliant
• sharp
• apt
• intelligent
• bright
• smart
• clever
• nimble
• keen
• wise
• acute
• ingenious
• resourceful
• thinking
• keen
• knowing
• cerebral
• intellectual
• savvy
• insightful
• perceptive
• astute
• sagacious
• skilled
• knowledgeable
• learned
• discerning
• brainy
• literate
• scholarly
• quick-witted
• ultrasmart
• sage
• trained
• erudite
• reasonable
• informed
• supersmart
• sharp-witted
• sound
• cunning
• shrewd
• hyperintelligent
• educated
• perspicacious
• prudent
• wily
• sensible
• logical
• crafty
• valid
• judicious
• sapient
• sane
• rational
• percipient
• highbrow
• well-read
• schooled
• foxy

3

as in sleepy

lacking in gaiety, movement, or animation

a slow day on Wall Street

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sleepy
• dead
• idle
• sluggish
• vacant
• comatose
• dormant
• off
• lethargic
• inactive
• free
• torpid
• inert
• latent
• fallow
• inoperative

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• busy
• lively
• alive
• humming
• vibrant
• bustling
• flourishing
• thriving
• animated
• buzzing
• astir
• swarming
• overflowing
• teeming
• abounding
• thronging

4

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

the first half of the movie is slow, but then it gets exciting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• tiring
• stupid
• weary
• dull
• heavy
• old
• wearying
• dusty
• dry
• annoying
• tame
• tedious
• irritating
• pedestrian
• monotonous
• tiresome
• ponderous
• uninteresting
• stodgy
• wearisome
• leaden
• drab
• arid
• humdrum
• dreary
• numbing
• stale
• exhausting
• flat
• monochromatic
• colorless
• stuffy
• ho-hum
• jejune
• pallid
• mind-numbing
• drudging
• draining
• sterile
• uneventful
• jading
• blah
• grey
• unspectacular
• barren
• blank
• unexciting
• soggy
• unimaginative
• dullish
• irksome
• gray
• prosy
• unrewarding
• spiritless
• prosaic
• uninspiring
• undramatic
• bothersome
• discouraging
• earthbound
• aseptic
• fatiguing
• inanimate
• pedantic
• cumbersome
• debilitating
• plodding
• tepid
• ordinary
• common
• suspenseless
• pleasureless
• unsensational
• pokey
• unnewsworthy
• commonplace
• wearing
• lumbering
• demoralizing
• unsurprising
• disheartening
• poky
• unexceptional
• dispiriting
• longsome
• enervating
• vapid
• enfeebling
• palling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interesting
• involving
• surprising
• wonderful
• intriguing
• engaging
• spectacular
• amazing
• absorbing
• exciting
• engrossing
• riveting
• marvellous
• astonishing
• gripping
• awesome
• wondrous
• marvelous
• astounding
• stimulating
• inspiring
• exhilarating
• sensational
• moving
• thrilling
• amusing
• stirring
• breathtaking
• fabulous
• entertaining
• energizing
• rousing
• electrifying
• attractive
• charming
• animating
• poignant
• fascinating
• touching
• attracting
• alluring
• enlivening
• invigorating
• enchanting
• beguiling
• enthralling
• galvanizing
• rip-roaring
• entrancing
• bewitching
• eye-opening
• diverting
• hair-raising
• suspenseful
• provocative
• tantalizing
• captivating
• mesmerizing
• arresting
• spellbinding

slow

2 of 3

verb

as in to brake

to cause to move or proceed at a less rapid pace

if you don't slow your delivery down a bit, your speech will be over too soon

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brake
• retard
• inhibit
• decelerate
• stop
• hinder
• impede
• slacken
• halt
• restrain
• curb
• obstruct
• check
• hamper
• set back
• thwart
• tie up
• handicap
• rein
• hold back
• frustrate
• encumber
• hobble
• constrain
• arrest
• sabotage
• bottleneck
• foil
• hold up
• baffle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accelerate
• hurry
• hasten
• rush
• speed (up)
• step up
• encourage
• push
• quicken
• urge
• drive
• stir
• spur
• forward
• help
• facilitate
• propel
• aid
• expedite
• ease
• further
• advance
• goad
• dispatch

slow

3 of 3

adverb

as in slowly

at a pace that is less than usual, desirable, or expected

you need to go slow with this experiment, or you'll make mistakes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slowly
• cautiously
• sluggishly
• leisurely
• laggardly
• deliberately
• tardily
• carefully
• purposefully
• pokily
• heavily
• ploddingly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fast
• rapidly
• quickly
• swift
• quick
• swiftly
• briskly
• speedily
• hastily
• immediately
• apace
• soon
• promptly
• readily
• presto
• fleetly
• recklessly
• meteorically
• full tilt
• snappily
• impulsively
• suddenly
• rashly
• abruptly
• impetuously
• pronto
• posthaste

Synonym Chooser

How is the word slow distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of slow are delay, detain, retard, and slacken. While all these words mean "to cause to be late or behind in movement or progress," slow and slacken also imply a reduction of speed, slow often suggesting deliberate intention.

medication slowed the patient's heart rate

In what contexts can delay take the place of slow?

In some situations, the words delay and slow are roughly equivalent. However, delay implies a holding back, usually by interference, from completion or arrival.

bad weather delayed our arrival

When would detain be a good substitute for slow?

The meanings of detain and slow largely overlap; however, detain implies a holding back beyond a reasonable or appointed time.

unexpected business had detained her

Where would retard be a reasonable alternative to slow?

While in some cases nearly identical to slow, retard suggests reduction of speed without actual stopping.

language barriers retarded their progress

When can slacken be used instead of slow?

The synonyms slacken and slow are sometimes interchangeable, but slacken suggests an easing up or relaxing of power or effort.

on hot days runners slacken their pace

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of slow

Adjective

By Lydia Mansel The fictional small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, may only exist in Gilmore Girls, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of equally charming destinations within the U.S. that offer a similar setting and slower pace of life. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2025

Strain into a highball glass, while simultaneously adding the club soda together in one slow stream to achieve the fluffy, towering fizz. —Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025

Verb

At a few hundred other intersections, the buffer zone for parking is 15 feet instead of 20 feet because there are curb bulb-outs that slow traffic by narrowing the intersection for safety. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025

Yet in the rush to deliver proof-of-concept wins, most organizations still treat responsible AI as a compliance requirement or reputational safeguard—something seen as slowing innovation and creating friction rather than a prerequisite for performance, scale or trust. —Amir Banifatemi, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

Adverb

At this high altitude, oxygen was already receding, making every movement slower and more difficult. —Cassidy Randall, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2025

Start slow: Implementing changes too quickly can overwhelm your body. —Sherri Gordon, Health, 14 Feb. 2025

Phrases Containing slow

• slow burn